Chapter 469

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Lu Feng

Zhang Xianyang kept urging him along the entire way, only quieting down once they reached the entrance of Lu Family Restaurant.

The two stopped at the entrance of Lu Family Restaurant; Liao Tong looked at the scene before the door and instantly froze in place.

The queue of diners stretched from the restaurant entrance all the way to the entrance of the milk tea shop three stores away; the line contained all kinds of people.

There were students in school uniforms, nearby office workers, and a few familiar faces could also be seen in the queue — several doctors from Tong'an Hospital.

They stood in line one by one, chatting while occasionally craning their necks to look toward the shop entrance.

"This is the shop you mentioned?"

Liao Tong widened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the queuing diners; at a rough glance the line looked to be nearly a hundred people: "There really are quite a lot of people here; are you sure all these people are here to eat at this shop?"

"What does this count as?"

Zhang Xianyang smiled and, while speaking, led Liao Tong toward the end of the queue: "Good thing we walked fast on the way; Boss Lu just started business not long ago, right now isn't the peak crowd yet — let's hurry up and get in line!"

"Right now doesn't count as many?"

Hearing this, Liao Tong's voice couldn't help but rise, pointing at the long queue before the door: "The people queuing are nearly a hundred, right? And this is just the start?"

Zhang Xianyang had no time to answer his question; he dragged him to stand at the very end of the queue.

They had just steadied themselves when the person standing ahead suddenly turned his head: "Yo, Doctor Zhang? You're here early today, and you brought a newcomer?"

As he spoke, he jerked his chin toward Liao Tong behind Zhang Xianyang.

The speaker was that scalper uncle who had been selling spots in the queue before.

Zhang Xianyang had become fairly familiar with him; a few weeks ago, to buy Red Braised Pork for Sun Lao, he had even swapped spots with him.

But that time Zhang Xianyang cleverly used the chance for Sun Lao to give him a consultation, and swapped a forward spot from his hands.

Later the scalper uncle didn't get the spot; in the end it was Director Zhou who gave him the examination.

In the following days, whenever the scalper uncle saw Zhang Xianyang, his expression was a bit resentful; Zhang Xianyang was still somewhat baffled.

Only after asking did he learn that because Director Zhou spoke while panting heavily, the scalper uncle had received quite a fright in their hospital, and now even had a psychological shadow toward hospitals.

Seeing the scalper uncle take the initiative to greet him, Zhang Xianyang also smiled and nodded: "Yeah, Uncle. This is my university classmate; he came to our hospital for study and exchange, so I brought him to taste Boss Lu's culinary skill."

"Rare indeed."

The scalper uncle smiled and teased: "I've been coming here nearly a month; besides last time when I saw you bring Director Zhou and Sun Lao, I haven't seen you bring anyone to treat to a meal! Doctor Zhang, did you get a bonus, or are you up for promotion?"

Zhang Xianyang reacted quickly, laughing it off perfunctorily: "No. We haven't seen each other in several years; he came all the way to Jiangcheng, how could I not treat him to something good? The food at Boss Lu's is far stronger than other restaurants."

He was usually a very low-key person; the matter of professional title evaluation he hadn't told anyone in the hospital about, worried that if it spread it would make people jealous.

After all, among the batch of newcomers who entered the hospital at the same time as him, only he had obtained this professional title evaluation opportunity.

The scalper uncle smiled and said nothing more.

"Right, Uncle, why are you queuing here today? Usually at this time you've already queued up to the restaurant entrance, haven't you?"

Zhang Xianyang looked at the scalper uncle and suddenly asked with some puzzlement.

The scalper uncle smiled, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out, his eyes full of pride: "Tsk! Doctor Zhang, you don't know — today Boss Lu released three new dishes in one go; not long after opening, someone came looking for me to buy a spot!"

As he spoke, he showed Zhang Xianyang the transfer records in his phone: "In just this short while, my spot has already been sold twice!"

"Boss Lu released three new dishes today?"

Zhang Xianyang wasn't interested in the scalper uncle's spot-selling business, but upon hearing about today's new dishes, his eyes instantly lit up.

He couldn't help turning his head to say to Liao Tong behind him: "Liao Tong, your luck is really not bad; first time here and you catch Boss Lu releasing new dishes — perfect, you can also taste his new dishes, guaranteed to broaden your horizons!"

Liao Tong crossed his arms, curled his lip, wearing a look of disdain: "Just releasing a new dish; is it worth getting this excited? You make it sound so mystical; later I'll have a good taste and see if this shop is really as exaggerated as you say."

Although he said this with his mouth, in his heart he couldn't help but start to feel some anticipation.

No matter what the so-called new dishes were, as long as they weren't noodles it was fine.

Because he truly disliked eating noodles.

The two chatted while following the queue slowly forward, when suddenly a few urgent voices came from ahead.

Several newly arrived diners surrounded the scalper uncle up front; one office worker grabbed the scalper uncle's arm and asked urgently: "Uncle, are you selling this spot or not?"

"Selling! Why wouldn't I sell!"

The scalper uncle saw business coming and his eyes narrowed with laughter.

He cleared his throat, raising his voice a notch: "This spot starts at one hundred; highest bidder gets it!"

"I bid one hundred fifty!"

That office worker immediately shouted a price, speaking while pulling out his phone from his pocket to scan-pay the uncle.

"I bid two hundred; Uncle, sell it to me!"

Another diner beside him wasn't to be outdone, wearing a determined look.

"I bid two hundred fifty!"

"……"

In the end, the scalper uncle's spot was bought by that first office worker, costing four hundred yuan.

This scene left Liao Tong dumbstruck, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.

He couldn't help glancing at Zhang Xianyang ahead; seeing the other still perfectly calm, as if already used to it, he felt even more astonished inside.

This works too?

Now even eating a meal has scalpers?

Spending four hundred yuan to buy a slightly forward spot — is that money really worth it?

Wouldn't it be better to spend four hundred yuan at a nicer restaurant and order a few good dishes?

Just what kind of shop is this, anyway?

Business is booming, fine, but there are actually people willing to spend four hundred yuan just to buy a spot?

And judging by the looks of it, this isn't the first or second time this has happened.

Liao Tong was completely baffled; he couldn't help but stare at the signboard of Lu Family Restaurant not far ahead, and the curiosity in his heart grew wildly like weeds.

Just what kind of flavor does the food this shop makes have?

To make people willing to spend this much money, just to be able to eat a little earlier?

Half an hour later, unknowingly, the two of them had already queued up to the counter in the hall.

"Let's get this straight first, I'm only treating you to one bowl of Yangchun Noodles and one dish; if you want to eat anything else, you'll have to pay for it yourself, my living expenses for this month aren't much."

When it was almost their turn, Zhang Xianyang turned his head and said softly to Liao Tong.

"Got it, got it, you brat promised to treat me to a meal, but it turns out to be just a bowl of noodles and one dish; don't worry, if the Yangchun Noodles here really cost 68 per portion, I won't let your wallet bleed too much."

"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, look at the menu on the wall yourself."

Zhang Xianyang pointed at the price list on the wall with a helpless tone and said.